I ordered the most expensive burgers at McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King. My favorite was so big, I could barely lift it with one hand.
Erin McDowell
- I compared the most expensive burgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King.
- I thought Burger King's Bacon King, which cost almost $10, was great value for money.
Fast food is often considered a cheaper alternative to going out to eat, but some fast-food burgers are surprisingly pricey.
I've tried a variety of fast-food burgers in my time as a food reporter, from practically every double cheeseburger to the signature burgers at fast-food chains.
After noticing how the prices of these meals seem to be creeping up, I decided to try out the most expensive burgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King to see which, if any, are worth top dollar. I judged them on flavor and value for money. All of the burgers were ordered without customizations from each chain's a-la-carte menu.
Here are the most expensive burgers from McDonald's, Wendy's, and Burger King, ranked from worst to best.
My least favorite of the burgers I tried was McDonald's double quarter pounder with cheese and bacon. It cost $8.99.
At $8.99, excluding taxes, it was the most expensive burger on the menu at my local McDonald's in Massachusetts.
The burger comes with two beef patties, two slices of American cheese, Applewood-smoked bacon, sliced onions, pickles, ketchup, and mustard on a sesame-seed bun.
The amount of toppings was generous, and the burger patties were evenly coated in the gooey, melted cheese.
The burger wasn't too oversized, and it was the least expensive of the burgers I tried.
The burger was small enough to pick it up with one hand to eat it, which wasn't the case for all the burgers I tried for this comparison.
The burger patties were on the drier side, but I liked that the bacon added a smoky flavor.
Overall, I thought that the flavor could have been amped up a little through a more generous serving of ketchup, mustard, or other condiments. It was a little dry when I bit in, which was compounded by the amount of meat in the sandwich.
I didn't dislike it, necessarily, but I wasn't blown away.
My second-favorite burger was Burger King's Bacon King burger, which cost a dollar more.
The burger cost $9.99, excluding taxes, at my local Burger King in Massachusetts.
The Bacon King was smothered in mayonnaise. The other toppings included two flame-grilled beef patties, smoked bacon, two slices of American cheese, and ketchup.
I personally enjoy mayonnaise, but immediately noted just how much was slathered onto the burger and the sesame-seed bun. If you're not a fan of mayo, this is a burger you may want to customize or avoid — although, it's also possible the mayo application was specific to the location I ordered it from.
The burger was a similar size to the chain's double Whopper, but the toppings were different.
I'm a big fan of the Whopper, so I was anxious to see if the Bacon King would live up to my expectations of Burger King's flavorful burgers.
Biting in, I was impressed.
The slices of cheese were evenly layered over the burger patties, which had a distinct smoky taste. I also thought the bacon was slightly crispier than the bacon on the McDonald's double quarter-pounder, which is the texture I personally prefer.
Although the generous slathering of mayonnaise slightly overpowered the flavor of the ketchup and bacon, it did add a lot of moisture to the burger. As a result, I didn't get the same dry feeling I got with the McDonald's burger.
My favorite burger was one I had never heard of before: the triple Pretzel Bacon Club burger from Wendy's. It was cheaper than Burger King's most expensive burger, but it still cost me almost $10.
The burger cost $9.69, excluding taxes, at my local Wendy's in Massachusetts.
The burger, which comes on a pretzel bun, came with a whopping three quarter-pound burger patties, Muenster cheese, strips of Applewood-smoked bacon, honey mustard, beer cheese sauce, fried onions, and pickles.
I've never had Muenster cheese nor crispy fried onions on a fast-food burger, so I was excited to try something a little different than my usual orders.
The burger was absolutely massive. I could barely pick it up with one hand.
The toppings were practically falling out of the triple-stacked burger.
I absolutely loved the toppings on this burger, but I could have done without one or even two of the patties.
The Muenster cheese, fried onions, pickles, and beer cheese sauce added a ton of flavor to this burger. The pickles were fresh, and the onions added a crunchy texture as well as a dash of salty flavor.
It was truly unlike anything I've ever tried at a fast-food chain, and I think it was well worth the slightly higher price tag.
My only criticism is that, for me personally, it was just way too much food. The next time around, I'll definitely stick to a single-patty Pretzel Bacon Club.
In the end, my favorite burger in terms of flavor and value was the Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Club triple burger.
Even though I would personally order a single the next time around, it was a ton of food for the price and the flavors perfectly complemented each other.
While I enjoyed all three burgers for their own reasons, I was really impressed by the most expensive burger at Wendy's — and it wasn't even the most expensive burger I tried.
The Pretzel Bacon Club's creative flavors and value for money simply couldn't be beaten.
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